Improvement in envelopes



s. P.0ADY. Envelope.

No. 219,444. Patented Sept. 9,1879.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

".FETERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAFNEH, WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLON P. OADY, OF PETERBOROUGH, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ENVELOPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 219,444, datedSeptember 9, 1879; application filed August 27, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SoLoN P. OADY, of Peterborough, in the county ofMadison and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Envelopefor Mail-Matter, of which the following is a specification.

The most effective manner of canceling postage-stamps is to remove aportion of the stamp by a punch but that has not heretofore beensuccessfully accomplished without cutting the contents of the envelope.

The object of my invention is to furnish an envelope which will permitthe stamp to be punched without risk of injury to the contents; and,further, to provide for such cancellation when more than one stamp isused on the envelope.

My invention consists in an envelope having a short slit cut in its facein such position that when a stamp is placed on the envelope the slitwill be adjacent to one edge of the stamp, whereby a proper tool may beinserted in the slit beneath the stamp and the contents of the envelopeprotected while the stamp is being punched.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a front view of my improvedenvelope.

The envelope a may be of any desired size or shape.

b is a short slit cut in the face of the envelope, in such position thatwhen a stamp is applied, as shown, the slit 1) is adjacent to the loweredge of the stamp. The length of the slit is about the width of a stamp,and I have shown the slit 1) a short distance from the end of theenvelope, so that itcomes beneath b oth stamps when two are used.

The slit b is to be cut in the material out of which the envelope ismade by any desired means before the envelopeisiolded and pasted.

The slit 1) permits onejaw of a hand-punch to be inserted beneath thestamp andface of the envelope, and then the cutter may be pressed downto perforate or cut a hole in the stamp and envelope.

It will be seen that various forms of tools may be used to punch thehole. I prefer for this purpose, and intend to apply for apatent on thesame by a separate application, a punch made similar to a pair ofpliers, with the jaw that is to be inserted into the slit flat andpointed somewhat like a knife-blade.

0 represents an additional slit cut in a posi-' per-wrapper providedwith the cancellation.

slit described.

Having described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent- An envelope provided with one or more slits,

b, arranged in close proximity to the stamp spaces, as and for thepurpose specified.

SOLON PLATO OADY.

Witnesses THos. F. PETRIE, H. T. HARRINGTON.

